The typical consumer of rugs desires to view the entire rug prior to purchase. With larger sizes of area rugs, display and access to full view inspection is often space prohibitive. Rugs may be displayed on a surface stacked on one another. However, due to the size and weight of most rugs, the rugs are often difficult to maneuver, and thus, do not allow the consumer to conveniently obtain a complete view of the front and back sides of the rug.
Heretofore, it has been known to display rugs with hanging assemblies, wherein the rugs are supported in hanging relation by a plurality of rotatable rug hangers and movable toward and away from each other so as to allow a consumer to obtain a view of the rug. More particularly, it has been known to display rugs with a cantilevered pivot type system known as the “swing arm.” The swing arm includes a fabricated bar generally extending the width of the rug and is welded to a pivot high above the display floor. The rug is secured to the fabricated bar by clamp-style clips so that the rug can hang down toward the floor. The fabricated bars are themselves generally pivoted from a relatively large outboard structure mounted to the floor and having base members extending in various directions adjacent to the floor to provide stability to an overall structure having much of its movement, weight and stress near the top, high above the floor. In order to view each rug displayed by such a swing arm system, the customer tugs on the rug, thereby pivoting the fabricated bar and rug in one direction to view the next rug in the display.
The present invention recognizes and addresses some of the problems with such swing arm systems. First, the present invention recognizes that the swing arm systems are very large and inherently unstable. The weight of the fabricated bars holding the rugs high above the floor requires a relatively large and obtrusive superstructure and base, naturally increasing the size, cost, assembly and space requirements for such structures. Accordingly, there is a desire for improved rug display systems supported on a display surface while utilizing a minimum amount of floor space required.
Second, the present invention recognizes that it is difficult to attach and detach rugs to the swing arm system as the fabricated bar from which the rugs hang in swing arm systems is located a substantial distance above the floor. Moreover, the fabricated bar is generally not removable from the outboard structure to allow a clerk to mount the rug to the fabricated bar while on the floor. Thus, more than one clerk is often needed to balance and raise the rug while securing the rug to the fabricated bar high above the floor. Accordingly, there is a desire for rug display systems providing a configuration so that a rug can be more easily and conveniently secured to or removed from the rug display systems.
Also, the present invention recognizes that swing arm systems can allow and even cause damage to the rugs displayed from the systems due, in part, to the method of operation and display provided by the swing arm system. For example, consumers wishing to view a rug displayed from swing arm systems are required to pull on the bottom of the hanging rug in order to rotate the swing arm to see the next rug in the display rack. This tugging action puts undue stresses on the rug and the attachment clamps holding the rug to the swing arm. Such stress can result in the rug being removed from the swing arm and/or damaged as the clamps dig into the rug or the rug is essentially ripped away from the clamps on the fabricated bar. In addition, as the swing arm system does not provide an easily accessible surface to display pertinent sales information concerning the rug, vendors must pin or tag (e.g., by piercing) the pertinent sales information to the back of the rug. Often, information pinned to the rug can fall off. Moreover, pinning or tagging can damage the rug and/or be ripped off of the rug in use. Accordingly, there is a desire for rug display systems that can display rugs and pertinent advertising information conveniently and without damaging the rugs.
In addition, as mentioned, the outboard structure of swing arm systems is generally very large making it difficult (physically and technically) to assemble, disassemble and ship. Quite often, swing arm systems require skilled construction crews and special equipment to deliver and assemble the systems. Accordingly, there is a desire for rug display systems with a minimal base structure capable of being easily assembled, disassembled and shipped.